He Can Love Someone
by confused and dazed
Summary: A HollyRoot pairing. My first fic, so please at least try to be kind!
1. In Need Of Rest

Spring-cleaning. It was Commander Julius Root's very least favorite time of the year. The entire Recon building would be scrubbed and washed, knees would give out, blood would be shed over the last scouring brush... all to maintain a "professional appearance". Why could they not hire janitors to do menial jobs such as this?  
  
Root was no longer physically able to fit into the areas that needed the most attention, and he really did not feel like rearranging his entire office. This could explain why he was sitting back in his swivel chair, drinking coffee, and watching Foaly do Root's cleaning on his hands and knees. Root was paying the centaur for his labor, and since Foaly would do generally anything for money (which he felt the LEP was not paying him enough of), Root was free to do pretty much whatever he pleased.  
  
Captain Holly Short entered his office, wearing a T-shirt and cut-off jeans, looking for all the world like a teenage Mud Woman. Root immediately stood up and attempted to look as though he'd been working, lest Holly think he was lazy. He got that feeling Holly had been giving him lately. He wanted badly to impress her. Holly raised an eyebrow at the sight of the centaur scrubbing the floor. "What a good example you're setting for us all, sir, having Foaly doing all of your work." She grinned.  
  
Root's face took on its usual ruddy hue. "You're in a good mood today," he snapped, returning to his normal self. "And for your information, I am not paying Foaly to do my cleaning. In fact, I have no clue why Foaly is in my office. Foaly, get out! Why the hell are you in here and when did I invite you to crawl around under my desks?"  
  
Foaly got up and brushed dust off of himself, glad to be leaving. Julius sure neglected his office. Holly smiled more widely and grabbed a mop. She exited, humming cheerfully as she went.  
  
Root gazed after her as she left, watching the muscles ripple across her strong arms and legs. Why did his stomach seem to turn upside-down and his heart beat faster every time he looked at her?  
  
Foaly gave him a strange look as he followed Holly out the door.  
  
~*~  
  
"Um, sir, your coffee's overflowing."  
  
Root snapped to attention. "What?"  
  
He had been gazing at Holly as she cleaned the floor of the break room while filling his coffee cup. He didn't notice the hot liquid running down his hands until Captain Trouble Kelp brought this to attention.  
  
"D'Arvit," Root breathed, trying to clean coffee off himself.  
  
The Captain stared at Root with a worried look on his face.  
  
Root shook himself. 'Stop this,' his head told him. 'This is HOLLY. This is your officer. You pay her and she hates you. That's the only sort of relationship you two need to have. Quit acting like an idiot.'  
  
'Shut up and let me watch her,' something else told his head. He loved the way her auburn hair gleamed reddish in the light.  
  
No. Wait. This is still Holly we're talking about. Shut up, head. Quit acting like this. Leave me alone. NO. STOP.  
  
"Both of you leave me alone," Root muttered, smacking his forehead. He was working too hard. Yes, that was it. Perhaps he'd take the day off tomorrow...  
  
But Holly was pretty... he didn't know if he wanted to go a day without seeing her...  
  
STOP IT!  
  
Holly looked up from her cleaning to see Commander Root pummeling himself in the head and talking to himself. She supposed all that smoking had finally gotten to him. Holly hoped he didn't have a heart attack and die...  
  
~*~  
  
So... what did ya think? I'd really appreciate reviews, you may flame if you really must, but no non-constructive flames, please. Be kind to poor Chumani! ^.^ 


	2. Foaly's Speech

Stupid Disclaimer: I don't own Holly, Root, or Foaly.  
  
Hi ho! Thanks for reviewing my first chapter.  
The Spaminator: Why thank you! I sometimes get the feeling that people just say things like that to be nice, but if you're serious.  
Blue Cocoagir: Um ok LOL.  
Mage Kitty: I love your story (Foaly's Carrot), by the way! Yes, Holly-Root pairings do rock ^.^  
Alex472: Yes, they are a bit OOC, and it ain't going to get much better. -_-;  
TazMoon: Bonjour mon ami! If that's a saying in French.... I know Latin a lot better than French so SALVE (hello) from Chumani. ^_^ And thanks for the kind comments!  
Gah. Enough said. On with chapter two.  
  
Two Foaly's Speech  
  
"Julius, sir? Are you alright?"  
  
Root stopped hitting himself and looked at Holly's bewildered, concerned face. He had never really noticed how pretty Holly's eyes were... they were such a profound hazel, almost blue...  
  
Quit it. Ok, so her eyes were hazel. Big deal.  
  
But they were pretty...  
  
STOP IT! SHUT UP!  
  
Holly began to back slowly away as Root continued abusing his head and muttering. He'd finally lost it.  
  
"Julius, I can send in a medic if you want..."  
  
"What? I'm fine," he said vaguely. "Just get back to work. And don't call me Julius unless you want me to take away from your already crappy paycheck."  
  
Holly rolled her eyes. Typical Julius. "Yes sir," she said, walking off.  
  
For a moment the Commander wished he hadn't yelled at Holly. Then he shook his head and wandered back to his office. He was taking the day off today, before he ended up in an asylum. Just a day of rest, and this whole damn business should end.  
  
He heard hooves behind him. "What do you want, Foaly?" he asked wearily. "No, I'm not raising your salary. No, you can't take the day off. No...."  
  
"I'm not here for me," the centaur said impatiently. "Did you see yourself back there? Do you know what's wrong with you?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm under a whole lot of stress right now, it's getting to my head, and I'm going home before it kills me."  
  
Foaly shook his head. "No, Julius," he said firmly. "It's obvious. You love Holly."  
  
Root stopped dead. WHAT?  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"Face it. You can't take your eyes off her. You're smiling at her a lot more often, and you've been complementing her. You love her."  
  
"No, I respect her. Love and respect are two different things."  
  
"Yes, but you're not experiencing the one you think you are," Foaly said quietly.  
  
"Damn it, Foaly, you humanoid jackass, you're doing this just to annoy me, aren't you?"  
  
"No, I'm doing it for Holly's sake. And yours."  
  
Root threw his hands in the air. "Why can't you just drop this and leave it alone?"  
  
"You have to get rid of your pride and realize what you feel for Holly. Otherwise you'll just live out your life in longing and despair. You may not believe me, but you will not rest in peace until you face this. I know." Foaly was staring at him intently. Root stared defiantly back.  
  
The centaur sighed. "Listen, Holly feels for you too."  
  
"What? She hates me."  
  
"No. She doesn't. She sees something in you. What, I don't know," Foaly snorted. "But she's convinced that somewhere in that out-of-shape lump you call a body there's emotion. And room for love."  
  
Root stared at him. This was so unlike Foaly. Why was he trying to help him?  
  
"Though if you can't face your feelings, Holly's better off alone. She deserves better than some stiff, proud, piece of rock who's too afraid to feel for someone and will eventually hurt her." Foaly turned and walked back to the break room. "And that's my speech for the day."  
  
~ * ~  
  
Yay, another chapter completed. Yes, yes, I know Foaly was completely the hell out of character, and I'm going to get a thousand flames over that. What am I to do... anyway who can interpret what Foaly's thinking? Perhaps if this were an actual situation in the books, he'd have wanted to help Holly and Root. And perhaps he wouldn't have given a damn. Maybe it's just up to the person controlling the characters.  
Anyway, no more deep thoughts before I fry my brain... review! And remember, no non-constructive flames.  
Oh yeah, and in Heaven there is no beer. That's why we drink it here. Remember that! 


	3. To Conquer Emotion

Disclaimer: I don't own Holly or Root or any other Artemis Fowl character. I merely own the plot (well, not technically, since the Root/Holly love plot has been used more times than I care to count). Anyway. Thanks to my reviewers:  
  
Ssenkrad Tnelis: Thanks for taking time to read this! Yes, actually, I did get that from Sara. ^_^ Isn't it the best song?  
  
Alex: I'm a-trying, I'm a-trying!  
  
Hooplah: Oh my... but why is it sick and wrong? Can't they have emotion? A character can't be completely rough/harsh. There'd be no base to him/her. I believe I saw a good deal of concern/feeling coming from those two in the books.  
  
Mage Kitty: Oh, but your story far outranks mine! ^_^ Don't worry, I love long reviews! Thanks.  
  
TazMoon: Salut!  
  
Kat092: Aaaw, I don't get to be negative about myself? ^_^ Thank you for the compliment.  
  
Tie Kerl: ^_^ Yay!  
  
TheSpaminator  
  
Kelsey: No, I don't really intend it to be a triangle... but if it sounds like it is, I suppose that's all the more interesting.  
  
Sam  
  
The-evil-but-niceish-one  
  
Yay, I finally get to work on this, since its RAINING and I don't have to work on crappy gym exercise! Yay! I don't know how long it'll take to finish this, I'm pretty busy nowadays, what with yoga classes, basketball, going-to-court-to-make-sure-my-mom-can-legally-take-care-of-us days, Christmas parties out the kazoo... but I'll do the best I can!  
  
Chapter Three  
To Conquer Emotion  
  
Root did indeed take off. He went to bed early, too.  
  
However, he couldn't help thinking back to what Foaly had said. Was he really in love with Holly?  
  
He immediately pushed this notion aside. HE WAS NOT IN LOVE WITH HOLLY. There.  
  
Or was he just in denial?  
  
He began to beat himself with a pillow, then ceased with a sigh. It wouldn't help if he gave himself brain damage.  
  
Anyway, if he WAS in love with Holly Short (which he was not, as he reminded himself again), he would end up hurting her, like Foaly had said. The Commander was not one suited for love, marriage, intercourse, children, etc..... they would both be living in hell.  
  
But wasn't Holly already in a hellhole, living in the slums of the Haven with a low wage? Hadn't Root wanted her out of there for years?  
  
And no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that Holly was merely a pretty elf that he held occasional respect for, he couldn't get rid of the feeling in the bottom of his heart. He couldn't forget how her eyes sparkled and the vaguely Asian-Mulatto look about her and...  
  
But surely Holly didn't feel the same way. She hated him. That was clear.  
  
Or was it?  
  
Root turned about in his bed and tried to clear the tumult in his mind. He had shut himself off from love and women years ago. He didn't feel like bringing it back. Love was an illusion. Beauty was a decoy. And females were the work of Satan.  
  
But in his heart he knew better. Inside he knew that Foaly was right. He knew that he loved Holly.  
  
He wanted to be with her.  
  
To touch her.  
  
To have her love him.  
  
He didn't know if he could accomplish this, but if he had learned something from Holly Short, it was that he had to put his whole heart and soul into it and try.  
  
He knew what he had to do.  
  
~*~  
  
Yay, another chapter accomplished. Now-review! We've gone through this, no non-constructive flames (though I'd prefer no flames at all ^_^). Hmm. It seems my chapters keep getting shorter. Oh well. If that's how many words it takes to get my story told, so be it. I'm happy, at least. ^_^. Adios! And remember the beer song.  
Hmm. Why does this seem so final? It's not like I'm finished yet. I still have two more chapters to go, so... better get moving! ~* Chumani *~ 


	4. Confession

Hi ho! I'm baack!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Holly, Root, Foaly, or anyone else. They all belong to Eion Colfer. Lucky him.  
  
Chapter Four  
Confession  
  
'There is no way I can do this,' Julius thought. 'No way whatsoever.'  
  
This was so early. So rash. Did he have to do this now?  
  
It was either now or never. And he didn't want to lose Holly Short.  
  
No three-hour counsel with Foaly last night could have prepared him for the way he felt now. He was terrified, bottom line. Part of him wanted to just forget about it and go back to being the old Commander Root. To be normal again.  
  
But he knew that he couldn't.  
  
As Foaly had said last night, "No, she hasn't changed, Julius. It's you who's changed. And from here on out, you'll never be the same." And Foaly had gone away smiling and smirking to himself. Damn donkey.  
  
That ring was burning a hole in his pocket.  
  
~*~  
  
He and Foaly both seemed to be losing their concentration. In his office, what had started as a discussion over papers and files had somehow turned to an obscure conversation about Holly's hair that Root really couldn't keep up with.  
  
"I used to have long hair." Holly's voice came to him as he was lost in his newest train of thought.  
  
"What happened to it?" Root asked vaguely, rubbing his head.  
  
Holly pointed to Foaly. "He hacked it off," she said, grinning.  
  
"I did not 'hack it off'," Foaly said defensively. "I cut your hair, and I think I did a damn good job too."  
  
The centaur looked meaningfully at Root as Holly, still smiling, continued with her paperwork. Root glared back at Foaly. He needed to be able to do this in his own time.  
  
But would his own time ever come? With the fresh fear that was in his heart, he knew that, left alone, he'd never ask Holly. Like it or not, he needed prodding along.  
  
~*~  
  
The day was almost over. Time was running out. He needed to confront Holly.  
  
He could have asked her a thousand times that day. They had been left alone so often. But he couldn't. This was not the place for that kind of question.  
  
Holly's shift was done. As she was leaving the Recon building, Root walked up to her and said, "I need to discuss something with you. At your home." Holly looked at him strangely but said, "Ok."  
  
Doubts began to run through his mind again as he walked with Holly towards her house. He pushed them away. This time he was not going to let fear stop him from doing this.  
  
But what if Holly... said no?  
  
He didn't need to think about that now. He'd deal with it if the situation arose.  
  
They reached her small tenant house. Holly turned around and said, "What was it you needed to talk about?"  
  
Root took a deep breath. He was... ready.  
  
He grabbed Holly's hands and held them. They were slender, callused, and warm. His were sweating like crazy.  
  
She pulled away uncomfortably. What the hell...?  
  
"Holly...," he began. He looked into Holly's beautiful eyes and tried to find the courage to continue.  
  
"What?" she whispered, her voice trembling.  
  
"I LOVE YOU, HOLLY SHORT!" Good Lord, had he just shouted?  
  
She stood stock still. Great, now she thought him mad.  
  
Julius took her hands again and dropped one knee. Crap, that hurt. He got down on both and attempted to find his voice. Craaap, it wouldn't come. Ok, breathe. Take deep breaths...  
  
"Will you?" he managed to choke out.  
  
"Will I what?" she asked softly.  
  
"You know."  
  
"No, I don't know."  
  
D'arvit, she did know, she was doing this just to torture him into proposing properly.  
  
With shaking hands, he drew the ring out and said, "Holly... will you marry me?"  
  
She stared at him for a minute, biting her lip to keep her eyes from misting. It wasn't working very well. 'Damn it,' she thought. 'I haven't cried for seven years, and now...'  
  
She suddenly smiled through damp eyes, grasped his hand, and nodded. So much for not getting emotional.  
  
He stood up, held her, and wept into her shoulder.  
  
~*~  
  
Yay... another mushy chapter complete...  
  
FINALLY I've finished the chapter. Just one more to go... I can do it... I had trouble completing this one for some reason. Oh vell. Please review!! People who have reviewed so far: Thanks! Me latest reviewers: Tazmoon (salute!), Mage Kitty (Thanks so much!) Kelsey (ease up on the questions there... ^_^) Alex (dank ishan! ((German, yeah.)) Ssenkard Tnelis (Thanks! Tell Sara 'hey' for me) and if there's others that I've missed, I'm sorry! You're loved too ^_^. My laptop doesn't have the Internet and so I'd have to check on my sister's computer but I don't wanna get off my lazy ass and yup, the redhead's making excuses.... Anyway. ~* Chumani *~ 


	5. Holly's Contemplation

Yay! I'm not dead, contrary to popular believe I'm sure! Yup, another update. The last update, in fact. T_T. *sniff* I can't believe it's over.........  
  
Disclaimer: I own a flu virus. *cough* But I don't own Holly. I own her current train of thought, though.  
  
Chapter Five Holly's Contemplation  
  
Holly Short was lying on her couch. She gazed at the ring. Was she really going to wear this for Julius? Had she obtained a fever and imagined all this?  
  
She sighed and got up, placing the ring on her counter. Holly seriously needed a cup of caffeine right now. She forced her ancient coffee maker to cooperate.  
  
She didn't know why she had said yes. It had come out in a spur of the moment. What had compelled her to so rashly settle for Julius?  
  
"Congratulations, Holly Short," she muttered. "You have successfully screwed up your life."  
  
Holly eased the coffee cup from the machine. She grabbed a white container and poured the contents into the cup, drinking deeply. She suddenly stopped and stared at the cup.  
  
She had put salt in her coffee.  
  
Holly poured it out with a sigh. Everyone was going insane.  
  
But he hadn't even kissed her.  
  
Suddenly angry, she slammed the ceramic cup on the counter. Julius had never shown her signs of affection. He'd never been kind or sincere with her. And now he wanted to get married.  
  
"Men are all the same!" she yelled to no one in particular. She'd had her own troubles with males. She knew by now they were only after one thing, when it came down to it.  
  
But what could she do? She had said yes. She already sealed her fate.  
  
She'd......... she'd give him his ring back. Yes, she most certainly would. She wasn't selling herself off to some egotistical male. Root had treated her like crap for as long as she'd known him. Who was to say this would be any different?  
  
Though she had to say, the idea of facing Root like that didn't appeal to her.  
  
Why did he ask her to marry him? Not for her money; she didn't have any. For her looks? No, there were plenty of model sluts with better, though perhaps fake, looks than her.........  
  
Could......... she possibly have seen love and sincerity from Julius?  
  
That look in his eyes as he proposed......... could it have been real?  
  
Something really had drawn her to him, compelled her to say yes that quickly.  
  
Maybe there was more to Julius Root than Holly knew.  
  
And maybe it was time to see him in a different light.  
  
~*~  
  
That's it! It's over! The end of my short-ass story. O vell. Thank you, THANK YOU, to all my reviewers. I love y'all! You are all permanently posted on my tack-board-thingy of fame.  
So......... is this the end of Chumani?  
No! Of course not! I have ideas! Run while you still can! ::insert evil laughter::  
Oh, yes, I have ideas for more stories, all sure to prove my true insanity.......... ^_^  
Bye! See ya later.  
~* Chumani *~ 


End file.
